SPRINGFIELD, NJ - After a competitive season and with possibly 19 more players next season, Dayton's first varsity team may be in store next season. The 2018 JV season certainly laid the foundation as the rise of lacrosse in Springfield skyrocketed this Spring as Jonathan Dayton High School’s Junior Varsity team entered its first full season.

After playing a modified eight game schedule last season with just 13 players, the team ended its inaugural season with a 1-7 record. This year, the Bulldogs entered the season with a roster of 29 players, comprised primarily freshman, who ascended from a promising 8th grade team that went 20-2 last season.

Expectations were high; however, after starting out the season with two straight losses to Summit and Ramapo, it looked as if this season would be like most first year programs. While most programs must fight through early struggles and obstacles that come along from building a sports team from scratch, Dayton would buck the trend and win the next seven of nine games to finish the season with an outstanding 7-4 record.

Throughout the season, this young Dayton team, under the guidance of one coach, played hard and proved to would-be competitors, as well as internal skeptics, this was a program on the rise. With victories over perennial lacrosse towns/programs including Millburn, New Providence, Oratory Prep, Governor Livingston, Scotch Plains, Wardlaw Hartridge and AL Johnson, opposing teams learned quickly that Dayton belonged on the field with them and could do more than just compete.

Although this season is considered to be Dayton’s inaugural season, there were several returning players who were instrumental in securing wins this season. Junior captains Robert Spagnola (24 points) and Evan Berkowitz (3 points), sophomores Adam Weinstein (11 points), Jack Pleva (28 GB, 3 points), Nathan Calling (2 points), Han Choi (3 GB) Kyle Guerreiro (6 GB), Jack Toledo (5 GB), Han Choi (3 GB), Jordan Levine (2 GB), and Arshad Lassiter. These players laid the foundation for the program and were invaluable as the leaders of this young team. Their guidance, alongside the talented freshman group and newcomer sophomore Jovanni Salcfas (25 points) were really the difference maker to this winning season. Salcfas, who only played in nine games, led the team in points, while freshman Michael Kanarek (17 points) led the team in what many would consider the most important categories, assists and ground balls. Standout freshman goalie Nick Stampoulous proved to be exceptional on the field, winning games with his remarkable defensive skills including a 26-save performance in a 6-5 victory over Millburn.

The team entered the season with three objectives – improve each day, be ready to compete on the varsity level and have fun in the process. It is more than evident that this group of talented student-athletes more than achieved these goals. With 19 projected incoming freshman next season, there will be an expected 40 to 46 players taking the field next Spring, anxious to play. Hopefully history will be made once again for these boys to be part of the first ever Varsity Lacrosse team at Jonathan Dayton High School in Spring 2019.

STOCKTON, N.J. — New Jersey Equine Artists’ Association’s eighth biennial national juried show and sale, “NJEAA Art of the Horse,” opened with a public reception on May 20 in an historic saw mill in Prallsville Mills.

The historic site, that now serves the arts community and cultural events is located at 33 Risler Street, (Route 29) Stockton, ...

SPRINGFIELD, NJ - Former Business Administrator Ziad Shehady approached the Township Committee Tuesday night announcing he will continue on as a self-proclaimed ‘Government Watchdog’ in the spirit of those before him like Sandy Wenger; a town resident who used to come to every meeting and question agenda items (keeping everyone “honest”, so to speak). He insisted ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — A standing room-only crowd cheered and booed Tuesday night after the town council, with a 6-3 vote, passed a resolution granting Mayor Shelley Brindle the authority to negotiate a lease agreement with Arena Realty Partners for a temporary ice rink at Gumbert Park this winter.

On Monday May 28, the town will host the annual Memorial Day Parade honoring our veterans, coordinated by former Committewoman Geri Ann Bujnowski. The parade will originate at Veteran’s Memorial Park and continue up to the high school. The parade will feature a ...

SPRINGFIELD, NJ – Amanda Lau is the only Dayton athlete to reach the 100-career hits milestone as a softball player and 1,000 career points milestone as a basketball player during her time at Jonathan Dayton High School.

The softball milestone was the last one to reach and she did it in her last game as a member of the Jonathan Dayton softball team. She needed one hit and Lau got ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - The grand daddy of ‘em all, the 75-year-old Tour of Somerville 50-mile bicycle race, anchors a weekend of world class cycling in Bound Brook and downtown Somerville May 24-28, with a new event added Sunday night to draw more spectators downtown.

Spectators this year will see an additional day of racing beginning with the Bound Brook Criterium on ...

WESTFIELD, NJ — A standing room-only crowd cheered and booed Tuesday night after the town council, with a 6-3 vote, passed a resolution granting Mayor Shelley Brindle the authority to negotiate a lease agreement with Arena Realty Partners for a temporary ice rink at Gumbert Park this winter.

Memorial Day was established in 1868 specifically to honor those who had lost their lives in service to their country in the Civil War. It customarily now honors all our war dead from that date on. The township memorials are located on the green at the Municipal Building. Until fairly recently, the annual Memorial Day parade began with a service on the green, ...

Home gardeners and property managers who are interested in joining the native plant movement can get resources and information – and plants – through the Union County “Plant Swap & Shop” event on Thursday evening, June 7, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Union County Demonstration Garden in the Watchung Reservation.